Failed to death: Readers respond to eight-day series on child protection (12 letters)

I read every one of your words on the need for reform of Colorado’s child protection system. The heartbreaking stories do suggest some solutions: a statewide or at least judicial districts hotline, prevention over reaction. You failed to mention more power to and use of Court Appointed Special Advocates and guardians ad litem who can stand alongside children whose parents have proved incapable of providing safety or nourishment.

But we’ve had media attention on these kids before, both piecemeal and wholesale, and little has changed. We will need more than civil-servant reform and sporadic political will to make a difference. We require an uprising of social attendance — we need to start claiming these kids, one and all. Trauma-informed interventions and science-based, non-judgmental neurological care are crucial. But more than anything, the parents and people of Colorado have to care for children not their own, as much as we care for craft beers, the military, and women’s breasts. When citizens care, fight and give enough, we can create the non-partisan political opportunity to ensure social change.

Dennis Kennedy, Denver

This letter was published in the Nov. 25 edition.

Thank you for making this story a priority. I am a volunteer CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) assigned to work with at-risk families. It is not comfortable working with parents who do not have some of the basic parenting skills, lack financial and/or community support, and often have psychological issues themselves. The caseworkers I have worked with are overworked and don’t have the hours in the day to spend with all the children in their system. And finally, when a child cannot be cared for by their parents, where do they go? How many secure, functioning families take in foster children? Certainly not enough. Hopefully your attention to this issue will motivate your readers to do something. If I can’t financially contribute to additional resources for these children, I can certainly give up a weekly golf game, or an evening in front of the television, to volunteer. I hope you will provide your readers with a comprehensive list of actions they can take to contribute to the end of child abuse.

Kerry Workman, Parker

This letter was published in the Nov. 25 edition.

“Tragic calls,” the Nov. 13 installment in your series, did a great job highlighting the wide discrepancies in how cases of suspected child abuse are triaged. Unfortunately, the variability in the vetting of these cases runs even deeper.

As a consultant for public and private schools over the last 30-plus years, I’ve been called on numerous times to make the call to social services regarding a student. When teachers ask me what will happen, my response is always the same: It depends on what county the family lives in and what calls came in the night before.

Some counties are well staffed and have the ability to be more consistent in determining which call should be investigated. Others, however, are known to be inadequately staffed, thus making the criteria for investigation a bit unclear.

Furthering the problem is how many and what types of calls came in the day before. If high numbers and extreme cases come in the previous 24 hours, the cases that warrant an investigation may change.

If we actually want to prevent child abuse, we need to fund a system that can be consistent in these determinations and reach out to families who are in those gray zones in every county of Colorado. After all, it’s often those repeated reports of gray area cases that end up becoming the extreme cases. Discovering these cases after the fact is an injustice to our children.

Craig A. Knippenberg, Denver

This letter was published in the Nov. 25 edition.

Reflecting upon this series, I was asked by a Jeffco teacher what has been missed. First, I think the lack of resources for the system, whether state-run or state/county-run, is the biggest problem. You need resources to allow a caseworker to have enough face time with each assigned family. Secondly, there needs to be a paradigm shift in assessing cases. What has been missed in this study is the fact that many, many cases are brought into the system needlessly (as in disenchanted litigants in custody battles who call social services as leverage), while others have been neglected. The system needs some leadership to effectively assess and evaluate each and every referral.

Joe Pickard, Littleton

The writer is an attorney, formerly in social services.

This letter was published in the Nov. 25 edition.

Kudos to 9News and The Denver Post for exposing this important issue. The many accounts of abuse and neglect highlighted by the series are not only truly sad, they are a telling commentary on the state of our society these days. Accordingly, these situations are just symptoms of a much bigger and more fundamental problem called the breakdown of the traditional family unit and the rejection of the moral values upon which it was founded. Much of the prescription championed by today’s popular thinking for addressing this issue is based upon the notion that “it takes a village” to raise a child. But at the end of the day, what it really takes is a mother and a father who are not only committed to each other through marriage, but that that marriage is founded on love, rather than lust, and the children who result from it are considered as blessings rather than burdens.

Douglas Fleecs, Greeley

This letter was published online only.

While I appreciate the coverage of the issues that exist in our child welfare system here in Colorado, I am concerned that our collective actions will fade away shortly after the headlines have passed. We have a history in this state of being outraged at stories of child abuse deaths followed by little or no action. As a public, we have little tolerance for a crumbling road and will campaign until it is fixed. Not so with children. If we want the deaths of more than one child per month to stop, we must hold ourselves accountable. We must persist in our outrage and become the change agents the children deserve.

We all know that where our heart is, our money will follow. As a state, we must invest in the children as a priority with improved resources for our caseworkers to do the best job possible. As individuals, our charitable efforts must support nonprofit programs’ efforts to provide quality services to these children.

Act now before your sorrow and outrage subside. Call your legislator, follow up with them in January and again after that. Make a donation to an agency serving these children; they can’t do it without you. Put your money where your heart is. Make the children a priority in your life.

Bob Cooper, Denver

The writer is president and chief executive of the Tennyson Center for Children.

This letter was published in the Nov. 25 edition.

I have been carefully reading the series regarding child deaths and county human services involvement.

I retired two years ago after working in county human services in six different Colorado counties for 44 years, including 16 years as a county director of human services.

I want to commend The Denver Post and 9News on the balanced reporting on this very important issue.

I was particularly glad to see that the fiscal policy issues were highlighted as a contributing factor. It is very difficult to effectively allocate resources to address complex problems, and that difficulty has been exacerbated by the constitutional fiscal morass which holds Colorado from being the state I wish it to be. For the sake of children and all of those who reside in Colorado, I hope that citizens around the state commit to make changes in the fiscal policy of Colorado.

Margaret A. Long, Fort Collins

This letter was published in the Nov. 25 edition.

Your series about child abuse deaths took an interesting turn on Nov. 16 by delving into the difficulty of prosecuting perpetrators for these deaths, which, according to your article (“Short on justice”), never happens in some cases.

Do you think it’s possible that the devaluation of human life through the legalization of abortion has anything to do with the devaluation of the lives of young children? Duh.

If you can take ’em out before they’re born, why not after?

Donna Jorgenson Farrell, Broomfield

This letter was published online only.

The Post’s excellent week-long series on child abuse painted a clear picture of a side of human life the loudest pro-lifers publicly ignore and the reason why this pro-life Democrat cannot support the pro-life platform.

The series detailed what regularly happens to human beings once their “right to life” has been granted and they arrive in visible form. Upon entering society as an infant, these same beings — declared to be safeguarded in the uterus — are no longer entitled to that same “right to life” from the parents who gave birth to them, and from the larger society, including the systems meant to protect them. Why is that? It is a strikingly horrid visual to imagine a warmly protected fetus propelled into a cold, loud, overly stimulated violent and painful existence — perhaps suffering for a lifetime.

To honestly be able to say that we are “pro-life,” it seems our energies must also be aimed toward protecting all of “the least among us,” including those who are already here. These words from Christ to His followers were not just specific to life in the womb, but from the beginning of life to the end. I’m wondering how we can call ourselves truly pro-life when there’s such a blatant disregard for life outside the womb.

The final paragraph of The Post’s Nov. 16 segment quotes Victor Vieth, who is the director of the Minnesota-based National Child Protection Training Center: “We just don’t value children and their lives to the extent that we do adults.” It could also be said, “to the extent that we do unborn children.”

Sarah Herbert, Denver

This letter was published online only.

While I applaud the research done on Colorado’s abuse problem,we are years behind in legislation to protect children. The bottom line is 33 countries in the world have made spanking illegal by parents, and more than 100 have abolished it in schools, many decades ago. In the U.S., all 50 states permit parents to hit their children, and 19, including Colorado, permit paddling in schools. You can do things to your children that if you did to your dog or neighbor, you would be in jail. We are asking for abuse to happen when you can legally hit a child with a belt or a rod.

I implore your readers to do five minutes of research on this issue. Get educated and support a change. It used to be legal to beat your wife with a stick; it’s time we give our children the same protection we afford our animals and neighbors. Why are we surprised our child abuse rates dwarf every other industrialized country when our laws are so far behind?

Jill Servais, Larkspur

This letter was published online only.

Let’s pass a law in Colorado which requires certain public officials to attend every funeral of a child who dies from abuse. The governor, the Colorado Department of Human Services’ executive director, the county commissioners from the county in which the child died, the police chief or sheriff from that county, and the head of that county’s Human Services Department should all be on the list of public officials mandated to attend each child’s funeral. In addition, the police chief and the county head of human services should be required to speak at the funeral of each child who has died as a result of abuse in their county about how they will work to improve cooperation between their two departments in order to prevent such deaths in the future.

We believe that reform in Colorado’s child protection services will truly happen as these officials view the casket of each and every child who has died as a result of abuse.

Ken and Carol Ayars, Littleton

This letter was published online only.

What an impactful series! As a children’s advocate, I was grateful for the well-rounded picture that the series painted — superb research and educating on the reporters’ parts.

As someone who has been crying out for years for just the changes suggested in the series, thank you again. The most important things that must be accomplished are a state-run system — one place where the buck really does stop (counties can adapt their spending locally but let’s have some oversight on child protection) — and transparency so that taxpayers know their dollars matter.

No more excuses. No more dead children. We cannot continue to trade what is right for children for what is convenient and comfortable for adults.

Adoree Blair, Littleton

This letter was published online only.

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“The Post’s excellent week-long series on child abuse painted a clear
picture of a side of human life the loudest pro-lifers publicly ignore
and the reason why this pro-life Democrat cannot support the pro-life
platform. The series detailed what regularly happens to human beings once their
“right to life” has been granted and they arrive in visible form.”
————-
Wow.

Unbelievable.

I am very grateful that the Denver Post printed one of the more appalling, disgusting, revolting, and sickening…..”rationales”…..that tries to “defend” the Pro-Choice and Pro-Abortion Mindset……that, in this case, is nothing short of insanity.

At least God gives most “sinners” the CHANCE to repent of their sins and turn back to Him and His Ways……and doesn’t just SMITE every sinner who commits his or her very first sin.

The Letter Writer is opposed to even giving a child the CHANCE at life…..of living…..of the possibility of growing up healthy, happy, and able to perhaps accomplish great things or become an inspiration to others.

SMITE the unborn. KILL the unborn. MURDER the unborn.

Smite, Kill, and Murder all those who may be “unwanted” in the future……lest they end up in a foster home and suffer the “possibility” of being abused and winding up dead anyway.

It is actually…..ironic…..that Pro-Choice and Pro-Choice people have that attitude……but don’t want that attitude applied to THEM under the “Do unto others as you would want others to do unto you” thought.

But let us face the Cold Hard Truth: Pro-Choicers and Pro-Abortionists are among the more Cold-Blooded and Hard-Hearted of Pro-Death,people who live on this planet.

They HAVE to be…..to have the attitude that is all about trying to defend what can not be defended: The killing and the death of the most INNOCENT of all living human lives.

But to extend that appalling “rationale” to include the idea that “abortion is better than letting the child live since there is a CHANCE – a CHANCEE

Anonymous

“Do you think it’s possible that the devaluation of human life through
the legalization of abortion has anything to do with the devaluation of
the lives of young children? Duh.

If you can take ’em out before they’re born, why not after?”
————
THAT is a very, very, very…..disgusting and disturbing…..comment.

However……..it is a comment that others have made…..because is is logical and reasonable……and true.

Many people have referred to the what has been seen as a…..rise….in…..”post-birth abortions”…….and, in fact, Focus on the Family recently quoted a couple of psychiatrists? doctors? (their exact title escapes me) who ARE not only “Pro-Choice” but who actually insist that there is so little, if any, difference in development between a 9month-old “fetus” and a 1- or even a 2-year-old…….that to legalize the death of the one but not the other is…..irrational. They actually call for the legalization of infanticide. THAT is how disgusting some Pro-Choicers…..minds…..begin to work…..when insanity take root.

When human life is not valued “in the womb”…..and can “legally” killed for any reason…….or even no reason…..some people actually DO come up with the “why not now?” attitude….to their newborns, their babies, and their small children.

brebis galeuse

I think it’s interesting that The Denver Post published in the print edition letters that took the system to task for lack of resources but saved the letters that took our culture to task for devaluing human life for online publication only. The crux of this matter, to paraphrase the late Cardinal Bernardin, is that devaluing human life at any stage devalues human life at every stage. This newspaper doesn’t have the guts to get to the heart of an issue, if that issue means that self-absorption is threatened. Shame on those who make these decisions.

Anonymous

In my most humble opinionated opinion, too many pro-lifers’ interest in humanity stops the moment humans are born.
These pro-lifers believe government should impose itself until the dear darling baby is born — and then the government should disappear.
Too many pro-lifers believe in post-partum abortion. If parents are overwhelmed, if parents resort to inappropriate means of acting out, that’s just too bad for the kids.
Because, once the baby is born, these pro-lifers believe, sole and only responsibility lies with the parents.
I do’t like a lot of RCC policies, and I believe their bishops can throw their weight around too much, but at least the RCC tries to maintain a consistent pro-life position from conception to death.

Anonymous

“The bottom line is 33 countries in the world have made spanking illegal
by parents, and more than 100 have abolished it in schools, many decades
ago. In the U.S., all 50 states permit parents to hit their children,
and 19, including Colorado, permit paddling in schools.”
————-
The United States and Colorado legalized abortion…….and the idea that living human lives can be deemed “inhuman”……and that a parent’s child…..or a child’s unborn brother or sister…..can be “legally” killed……for any reason or no reason at all.

WHAT – exactly – would seem the Greater Cause…..of “child abuse”?????

Merely spanking a kid?

Or actually “legalizing” the MURDER of kids……the unborn…..the living human lives who’s lives are……terminated……extinguished…..snuffed out……that may lead the…..Pro-Choicers…..to think about…..consider……and commit what they may simply see as being nothing more than a “post-birth” abortion?

Anonymous

Thank you, Sarah Herbert.
**********
9News and the Denver Post just in time for November sweeps month did a comprehensive series on child abuse.
It’s easy to examine the failings of child support services and other government agencies. But, I wonder whether either 9News or the Denver Post bother to look at caseloads, understaffed and overworked caseworkers, little resources for properly training law enforcement personnel, etc.
In short, I wonder if 9News or the Denver Post bothered to report that we are asking government agencies to accomplish too much with too little money.

irisman

The Post did point out that caseloads were too heavy, and also mentioned the disparity among the different counties. It’s clear that more caseworkers are needed, and the state government should keep closer tabs on the performance of county agencies. The question is whether the citizens are willing to pay for better protection of children.

Guidelines: The Post welcomes letters up to 150 words on topics of general interest. Letters must include full name, home address, day and evening phone numbers, and may be edited for length, grammar and accuracy.